Yesterday we talked about the curse, and how because of it our domains rebel against us. How in turn we are left feeling overwhelmed and depressed at the mess that just never seems to stay cleaned. How do we overcome this? How do we use it to motivate us?
Here's how:
We have to keep our eye on the eternal value of our work. If we are in Christ, then everything we do not only has value here on earth, but it has value for eternity. What we do actually earns us rewards that will last, literally, forever. We have work that was created by God for us to do, and we have the power, approval, and authority to carry it out. We also have to remember that the Lord is using our domains, and the struggles therein, to perfect us in our worship and service to Him.
"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." James 1: 2-4
How we take care of our domains - how we stay on task - is all about our response to God. He gave us our domains, He gave us, as women, the ability to give life to them! We have to decide what are response to Him will be. Will we respond grudgingly, and feeling hopeless because it's just another "rule" to follow, or will we accept our tasks with joy, giving thanks for all the goodness and blessings we have been given? Remember, He knows our weakness, and He's not looking for perfection (He already sees us as saints if we are covered in the blood of Jesus!) Taking care of our domains is something to cling to, to take joy and honor in, and ultimately is something that will lead us toward Christ like character and humility. And if you're anything like me, we need all the grace we can get! Now let's look at some helpful tips in leading us toward self-discipline.
"Like a budget for money you need a budget for time." George MacDonald
Isn't that a great quote? I love it, but how the heck do we actually gain the self-discipline to put it into action? This is where you come in. I want your tips and suggestions of what has helped you in your self-discipline journey. What keeps you "on task?" How do you use your time wisely?
Give us your best suggestions and then tomorrow I'll post them, giving you credit of course, along with the tips I have gleaned along the way.
(As for our cleaning challenge, keep working on your home office/desk/bookshelves, etc. We'll have a new challenge tomorrow).
Persevere!
8 comments:
Actually, what I put in my cleaning Mission Statement: "I want to spend less time procrastinating about cleaning than the actual time it would have taken to just clean it!"
So, I often focus my thoughts on this exact thing - that usually just gets me up off the couch (or off the computer) to tackle the job I've been putting off.
Thanks for asking for input from other bloggers - makes me feel very special.
Beautiful post! Just what we needed today!
blessings,
kari & kisja
None. *sigh* I have no tips for self-discipline, I stink at it. I just updated my www.rememberthemilk.com task manager, which I hadn't used in a month. It's one of my homepages! I can start projects, I don't know how to stick to it.
I'm really enjoying this series... I can't wait to see what happens next!
What great words of wisdom. I'd love to promote you on my blog. Shoot me over an e-mail with your favorite "Days" and I'll feature them.
I love that quote about time.
I wait til the kids have gone to bed...usually. During summer, they never seem to! So then what?!
Thank you for pointing out the eternalness (is that a word?) of our service to God- what an encouragement. To keep on task I often set a timer, or play some music (this helps me get going and be efficient), or I'll set a reward for myself at the end of a task (ie-If I get these three things done off my list then I will sit down as soon as the kids are resting and flip thru this cooking magazine. :)
Whew...that is a tough one. Somewhere along the line I heard "Do not dread what must be done." Sometimes I get so aggravated with the repetition of cleaning the same space over and over that I lose site of the fact that life is repetitious. We do the same things over and over, so why dread what I know must be done. I've also found a little peace in putting in my ipod while I clean to block out the small spats between the three kiddos that I often feel the need to referee instead of letting them work it out. (Although the ipod drowned out the sound of the garbage disposal two nights ago, so I forgot to turn it off...and left it running for an hour - with no water. Nearly burnt out the motor...whew...good to have a handy husband. :) Be careful about that!)
Thanks for letting us all share in this process...there is comfort and motivation in knowing you're not alone. I made amazing progress in our mudroom yesterday! :) Office today.
I don't have tips - I need the tips! Thanks for this post - another good one!
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